Development of an Underwater Cleaning Robot with Vortex Suction Mechanism

The aim of this paper is to present the development of a vortex suction robot for cleaning the surface of the bridges or the dams. Based on the principle of vortex suction, the suction mechanism is designed in order that the underwater cleaning robot can stably adhere to the wall surface in the underwater environment. This paper mainly elaborates the design and suction performance of vortex suction mechanism. The required suction force of the vortex suction cup is obtained by designing and analyzing the underwater cleaning robot. Simulation analysis and experimental verification of the proposed underwater robot and the vortex suction cup installed on the robot are carried out. The results show that the vortex suction cup designed in this paper can make the underwater cleaning robot obtain stable and reliable suction performance.